Save for a coronavirus-induced blip at the start of the new decade, 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has been the busiest airport in the world by passenger numbers for many years. The pandemic aside, this hot streak dates back to 1998, and, as reported earlier this week by Simple Flying, the latest OAG data shows that Atlanta has retained its title this year.
With Atlanta being a major transit hub for US ‘big three’ legacy carrier and SkyTeam founding member Delta Air Lines, the airport serves a wide variety of routes that differ considerably in terms of their range. This month, data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that five airlines have non-stop flights longer than 7,000 miles from Atlanta, so let’s see where these go.
The Hometown Hero
Rather aptly, 
Delta Air Lines itself operates the airport’s only two routes longer than 8,000 miles. Both are South African, with Cape Town (CPT) being 8,127 miles (13,079 km) away, while Johannesburg has an even greater distance of 8,433 miles (13,572 km). Both routes are served five times a week, while Seoul (ICN), 7,153 miles (11,512 km) away, is served as often as twice daily.
All three of Delta’s longest routes from Atlanta are operated by the carrier’s modern Airbus A350-900 widebody twinjets. These aircraft have three different layouts, but the three-class premium-heavy configuration, with 40 business, 40 premium economy, and 195 economy seats, is favored here. Delta switched to this layout on its South African routes in 2024, when it explained that:
” With the introduction of the higher-premium 35H Airbus A350-900, this upgrade will provide an additional eight Delta One Suite seats, bringing the total to 40, along with improved operational performance.”
Two Middle Eastern Giants
The Middle East is also an important long-haul market from most US hubs, regardless of whether they are located on the East Coast, the West Coast, or, indeed, somewhere in between. For Atlanta, Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) is its most distant Middle Eastern destination. Served daily by Etihad using the Airbus A350-1000, this route is 7,619 miles (12,262 km) long.
Flying from Abu Dhabi, EY13 takes off at 09:20, and lands in Atlanta 15 hours and 30 minutes later at 15:50 local time. The return leg, EY14, operates overnight, leaving Atlanta at 21:20 and reaching Abu Dhabi 13 hours and 10 minutes later at 19:30 the next day. According to aeroLOPA, Etihad’s A350-1000s have 44 business class flatbeds and 327 standard economy class seats on board.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Qatar Airways flies non-stop to Atlanta every day from its Doha (DOH) hub, with its aircraft of choice on this 7,459-mile (12,004 km) route also being the Airbus A350-1000. Its configuration is a lower-density affair than at Etihad, with 327 seats compared to 371. The former figure is split between 46 QSuite business class flatbeds and 281 economy seats.
The Best Of The Rest
Two other airlines operate non-stop routes to and from Atlanta that exceed the 7,000-mile mark. As pictured above, one such carrier is Ethiopian Airlines, whose Boeing 787-8 widebody twinjets serve the Georgia hub between once and three times a week with flights to Addis Ababa (ADD). This route is 7,702 miles (12,395 km) long, and there are eight departures this month.
Interestingly, it is only the eastbound leg of this route that operates on a non-stop basis. Indeed, Ethiopian Airlines’ westbound flights from Addis Ababa to Atlanta make a technical stop in Rome (FCO). The carrier previously used Dublin (DUB) for this purpose, but switched from the Irish to the Italian capital in 2023, citing “operational flexibility/efficiency as well as cost advantage.”
The fifth and final carrier with non-stop flights to and from Atlanta that exceed the 7,000-mile mark is Korean Air. The airline operates alongside its fellow SkyTeam member Delta Air Lines on the aforementioned route to Seoul, which it serves daily with the Boeing 777-300ER. These widebody twinjets have 277 seats onboard: 8 in first class, 42 in business, and 227 in economy.
